


Eternal Recurrence

by sunkelles



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: 2 of them, Bisexual Female Character, Episode: s02e03 Dance Dance Resolution, F/F, F/M, I love this show so much, Philosophy, Spoilers through s02 episode 3, The Good Place OT3, Threesome - F/F/M, minor jason/janet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 03:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12224379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles
Summary: Eleanor, Chidi, and Tahani all love each other. It's in different combinations and in different ways through different reboots, but that's the one constant. Once they make a deal with Michael to end the reboots, they figure out what this means.





	Eternal Recurrence

**Author's Note:**

> if you aren't caught up with the good place as of september 29, 2017 then you don't want to read this fic. please don't because 1. it won't make sense and 2. spooooiiilllleeeerssssss
> 
> also i love jason he's a beautiful idiot and he and janet deserve to be happy and do things that are almost sex

Eleanor and Chidi find out that they’re in the bad place. They get Janet, and they hop on a train to the medium place. What’s even more terrifying is finding out that they’ve done this over and over and over again. They’ve exhausted every possible solution trying to fix this mess, that apparently has just rewritten itself more times than any of them can even imagine. 

 

Apparently, however, there are some constants in this world. Mindy St. Claire, apparently, masturbates a lot. And apparently, some of it is to peeping tom videos that she’s made of visitors. Visitors like Eleanor and Chidi, together. At least Mindy feels gracious enough to only show Eleanor and Chidi waking up in bed together and whispering sweet nothings and none of the fucking itself. Eleanor, however, still can’t believe her eyes. 

 

“I did  _ not  _ sleep with Chidi,” Eleanor says. She might have, well, watched it happen, but she knows that it couldn’t have happened. She doesn’t- she wouldn’t- 

“You slept with that Tahani too,” Mindy says nonchalantly. 

“ _ What?”  _ Eleanor says. 

“Yeah, Tahani. Sure you know her.” 

“Yeah, I  _ know  _ her,” Eleanor says. She just doesn’t like her. If they had sex, it was in a strictly hate sex sort of way. Which honestly, Eleanor would be totally down for. Tahani might be the hottest woman that she’s ever met, and if they did sleep with each other, then she’s  _ definitely  _ the hottest woman that she’s ever slept with. 

“Did you tape that too?” Eleanor asks. It’s a morbid fascination, really. She  _ doesn’t  _ want Mindy to have watched them, or for there to be a tape. But… well, she’s not gonna deny that she’d kind of like to see that too. 

 

She never thought about things happening with Chidi because he seemed so high above her. But they’re both in the bad place, which means that Chidi wasn’t actually better in life than she was.

“I don’t swing that way. If there isn’t a dick in the pic then Mindy is outie. Mindy St. Claire shoots straight.” Eleanor doesn’t even bother to unpack the homophobia or transphobia in this statement. This is coming from a woman who’s even more detestable than Eleanor herself, and trying to do that isn’t really worth her time. 

“Mindy St. Claire stills asks for cocaine in the afterlife,” Eleanor deadpans. 

“Never said that Mindy St. Claire didn’t  _ shoot up _ straight.” Eleanor wants to groan. Eleanor realizes that they’re never going to get anywhere staying here in the medium place. They’ll never make any progress, just like Chidi was saying about the resets. Here in the medium place they would be stuck forever in their own kind of bad place, and Tahani and Jason stuck in the real one. That’s not right, and it’s not productive. 

Eleanor has a better idea. She and Chidi leave the medium place. She finds Tahani and Jason and they explain everything. Then, she confronts Michael about it. 

“We have the power,” Eleanor says. She knows that Michael can’t control them forever. However many resets they’ve gone through alone proves that. Michael seems to agree with it. 

"New best friends?" he asks. 

“You want to be… friends?” Tahani asks. 

“I thought he wanted us to be his dance crew?” Jason asks. 

“No you-” Tahani looks like she’s physically restraining herself from calling him an idiot, “it was a  _ metaphor.”  _

“Wait, like those weird dress things?” 

“Pinafore-” she sounds like it’s causing her pain, “-the word is _pinafore_. A metaphor means that he didn’t want us to physically be his dance crew. He wanted us on his side.” 

“Oh,” Jason says, “I was hoping that we’d get to dance.” 

“I’ll dance with you,” Janet says, sending him a smile. 

“Sweet Satan,” Michael says, “it’s happening again.” Eleanor doesn’t even want to ask what might be happening, because with this many reboots she can assume that  _ a lot  _ of shirt  has gone down. 

“It doesn’t matter. I need your help,” Michael says.

“You really think that we’re gonna help you? The humans you’ve been torturing?” 

“Basically, yeah,” Michael says, like that’s a perfectly reasonable request. 

“And why should we?” Tahani asks. 

“I can promise  _ not  _ to torture you,” Michael says. 

“No, no,” Chidi says, “we can’t just help him so that he doesn’t torture us. That’s- that’s  _ Freudian.  _ We’re above that.” 

“Actually,” Janet says, holding out her hands like a scale with two sides, “you are in the bad place, and Sigmund Freud is in the bad place. You are technically on the same level.” Then, she claps her hands together. Chidi’s face turns ashen. 

“You’re saying I’m the same as  _ Freud,”  _ he says, his eyes widening. 

“No, you are different people. You can’t be the same,” Janet says. 

“No,” Chidi says, “I won’t help you. You’ve tortured us for god knows how long. And tortured so many other people. There’s no situation where that’s right.” That’s the most decisive thing that Eleanor’s heard Chidi say since she met him. At least, the most decisive thing that he’s said since she can remember.

“You’re not helping,” Eleanor sing songs. 

“Eleanor, I can’t-” 

“So Chi man doesn’t help,” Jason says, “what’s it matter?” 

“I can’t have one of you running rogue. If that’s the case, I might as well reset you all.” Eleanor watches Jason’s eyes widen. 

“But- but-” 

“Chidi’ll do it,” Eleanor says. She fakes a wide smile and gives Michael a thumbs up. 

“Eleanor-” Chidi says, sending her wide eyes. Eleanor can tell that he’s getting one of his signature morality crisis stomach aches. 

“I need all four of you and Janet for this to possibly work,” Michael says, “you have to all be willing to work for this.” 

“Janet,” Jason says, smiling, “is she single?” 

“Not again,” Michael says, bringing a hand to his head to cradle it. 

“She is!” Jason says, beaming from ear to ear. Eleanor would prefer not to continue the conversation about Jason dating the AI, so she presses on. 

“So what do you need to do, boss man? Or do you prefer Satan? Prince of Darkness? Lucifer? Hellboy?” 

“Oh my god,” Chidi says, clutching his stomach as the ache increases, “I- I made a deal with the devil.” Tahani pats him gently on the back. 

“It’s alright,” she says softly. 

“I’m not Satan,” Michael says, “don’t have nearly that much power. I need you so that I don’t get in trouble with  _ my  _ boss.” 

“Got it,” Eleanor says, “we help you, you help us. It’s a win-win.” Chidi sends her a glare that means he doesn’t agree. 

“I need you to steal a book,” Michael says. Then, he tells them all about Vicki’s detailed accounts of the failed attempts and how to steal it from her. 

They go back to Eleanor’s house, because something about Eleanor’s living room with the big chalkboard feels like the place where they should do something like this. 

“So,” Tahani says, “I’m unfamiliar with thievery. Eleanor, Jason, do you have any suggestions for how to steal this book?” 

“Why are we stealing a book, homies? Books are lame. We could steal a Die Hard box set instead.” 

“Again, Jason,” Tahani says, “we’re stealing a book so that Michael doesn’t keep  _ torturing us.”  _

“Ah yes,” Jason says, “torture.” Then he puts on a serious face, and Eleanor appreciates the fact that he’s trying. He’s an idiot, but he’s one that’s trying. 

“Yeah,” Eleanor says, “I know how to steal it. It won’t be a problem.” Chidi looks even more disturbed. 

“We’re working for a demon and we’re  _ stealing  _ for him! Stealing! For a demon!” Chidi says, clutching his stomach like he’s having cramps. Knowing Chidi, his stomach ache has gotten so bad that it feels like it. This is probably giving his ulcers. 

“I know that doing the right thing is important to you,” Eleanor says gently, “but sometimes, just surviving is the right thing. That’s utilitarianism, right?” 

“No, that’s  _ objectivism _ .” Somehow he makes that word sound as dirty as fork or shirt. 

“I- I can’t abide by that. I can’t know that something is wrong and do it anyway.” 

“What about the  _ almond milk,  _ Chidi.” 

“That’s low,” he says, eyes widening, “even for you, Eleanor.” 

“Chidi, this will determine whether or not we continue to be tortured. Whether or not we get to keep our memories. It’s important,” Tahani says. 

“Didn’t you say that the reboot thing was like, a philosopher’s worst nightmare? Something about us not being able to learn from our mistakes?” Eleanor asks. 

“You remembered  Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence,” he says, sounding awed. Eleanor likes it when Chidi’s impressed by her, so she definitely doesn’t mention that she had  _ no clue  _ that was the name. 

“Yeah, of course. I sometimes I listen to you.” Chidi smiles. 

“You’re learning,” he says, and he sounds so proud of her that she could burst. 

“Yeah, I think we all are,” she says. Tahani takes it from there. 

“None of us are going to get to  _ keep _ learning if we let him reset us again. The only way we can beat Michael is if we play along with this.” 

“Are you all sure about this?” Chidi asks cautiously. He sounds nervous, but open to try what they decide. This goes against his moral compass, but he’s willing to do it anyway. For Chidi, that’s huge. 

“Yeah, I am,” Eleanor says. 

“Positive,” Tahani says. 

“I like stealing shirt,” Jason says with a dopey grin. 

“Jason, you just made this worse. How- how did you make this  _ worse?”  _

  
  


They steal the book, and then they take it back to Eleanor’s house. Michael didn’t specify when they had to bring it back, and they’re curious. Chidi’s too guilty to read it first. Tahani’s nervous about what might be inside, and Eleanor’s not completely sure that Jason  _ could  _ read it, so she does. 

“Wait, Janet and I are married? This is awesome! I’m gonna go hang out with my wife!” He rips the sleeves off of his monk outfit, and leaves them. 

“That’s actually kind of sweet,” Tahani says.

“Yeah, I agree.” What Jason and Janet have is weird, but it seems genuine. If the boy wants to date the AI and she wants to date him, that’s fine with Eleanor. The world’s complicated enough already. Some of it should be fun, at least. The three of them curl up on the couch, and they read through the rest of Michael’s attempts. 

They read as Eleanor and Chidi fall in love. They read as Tahani and Eleanor fall in love. They read as Chidi and Tahani fall in love. It seems that every version that gets far enough involves at least one combination of the three. The only thing more constant than 2 of the 3 of them falling in love, is Eleanor figuring out they were in the bad place. Even that tradition was broken once when Jason figured it out instead.

They make it through the text, up until this very attempt the day before. 

“Wow,” Tahani says as she closes the book, “that’s a lot.” 

“I can’t believe that we’ve lived this so many times,” Chidi says. He sounds so anxious, even worse than normal. While this tentative deal with Michael has set both Eleanor and Tahani more at ease, it’s done the opposite to Chidi.

“It’s almost funny, really. Every single thing that could have gone wrong has. All of Michael’s best laid plans have crumbled apart in front of him.” Tahani laughs a little as she leans back into the chair. Somehow she even looks elegant as she lounges. 

“We were supposed to torture each other, the four of us. But we’ve been there for each other, through every reset, every soulmate.” 

“I can’t believe that out of four  _ hundred  _ soulmates, all but two were men. Just you and a golden retriever to break it up,” Eleanor says. Tahani sends her a confused look. 

“I’m like a four on the Kinsey Scale,” she says, “if I’d remembered all the soulmates, I would have figured it out just from that.” Eleanor seems to have figured it out from a million different tiny bits of evidence; figuring it out because they messed up the probably gender proportions based on her sexual preference doesn’t seem like a stretch. 

“Soulmates don’t even exist,” Chidi says, “Michael just made them up to torture us.” 

“But if they do,” Eleanor says, “don’t you think that we are? All three of us?” They love each other. In every reboot, at least two of them ended up together. Eleanor read enough of Vicki’s accounts of the reboots that she knows why she’s loved Tahani in the past, and she already knows why she loves Chidi. She can’t imagine a reality where she didn’t. 

“I think that Eleanor is right. We’re three people,” Tahani says, “three people that have found each other through countless memory reboots, despite every obstacle. Don’t you think that means something?” Chidi looks hopeful for the first time since he discovered they were in the bad place this time. 

“I guess that it could. We can’t rule it out, at least.” There’s a small smile on his face, and Eleanor can tell that his stomach ache is at least starting to recede. 

“You two are my favorite yogurts, after all,” Chidi says with a little shirt-eating grin. Tahani rolls her eyes, and Eleanor playfully slaps his shoulder. 

“I can’t believe this is our life,” Eleanor says, “there’s just- there’s so much history between all of us, and we can’t even remember it.” They read through all of their exploits from previous lives, but it was like watching a tv show that she was only half involved in. Even when she tried to get invested and imagine what it was like to have been that other Eleanor, it just didn’t work. 

“It’s  Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence,” Chidi says. Eleanor still doesn’t know what that means, but it sounds dark- foreboding. She doesn’t like it at all. 

“You know,” Tahani says, “that might not be a bad thing, entirely at least.” 

“How isn’t that bad?” Chidi asks, sitting up and sending Tahani a horrified look. 

“If Nietzsche’s theory is correct, and there’s a certain way that things want to happen, then we know how they happen. We know how we’ve fallen in love in the past. We know how we’ve formed teams, how we’ve overcome certain tasks-” 

“How we’ve gotten our memories erased,” Chidi mutters. 

“But this time will be different,” Tahani promises, taking his hand and looking into his eyes, “we made a deal with the devil, remember?” Chidi laughs nervously. 

“How could I forget?” 

“So we have a- what is that American term? From the tackle sport? The book of plays?” 

“The  _ playbook,  _ Tahani,” Eleanor says, rolling her eyes. She understands why she always hated Tahani, at the start, but she can also see why she always loves her by the end. 

“Ah, yes,” Tahani says, “we have the playbook. We know how things have gone before, and now we get to watch them unfold. We have the power here, just as Eleanor said.” 

“Do you believe in these soulmates, Tahani?” Chidi asks cautiously. They read through every attempt that Michael made. They watched Chidi agonize over the concept of a soulmate every time, hoping to finally make that human connection that he couldn’t in his life on earth. Chidi wants soulmates to be real even more than the other two. Tahani shrugs. 

“I believe most things are possible.” Eleanor knows that wasn’t the answer Chidi was looking for, and now he’ll be too nervous to press further. He’ll just think that the possibility of anything with Tahani is closed to them. This life it’s been Eleanor and Chidi, with little room for Tahani. Eleanor and Chidi had barely interacted with her before they ran away to the medium place. Eleanor doesn’t want it to stay like that, and she doesn’t think that Chidi does either. 

“It’s always been the three of us,” Eleanor says, and it’s true. It’s always been the three of them, even though they never got around to the threesome (that they know of). 

“Do you think it could be like that again?” Tahani looks contemplative, and Eleanor doesn’t think that she’s going to give them an answer that they like. 

“No, not yet,” Tahani says, “but I have. I think I could again.” That’s a lot more hopeful than what Eleanor had been expecting. She thinks that they can work with that. There’s a world possibilities in that answer, just like they have a world of possibilities open to them now. 

 

They may be in the bad place, but they have a freedom now that they’ve never had before. here they are, a tortured academic, a hot rich fraud with legs for days and a selfish ass helping a demon to keep his job, with the help of an idiot DJ and his AI wife. Three hell-bound people just trying to make it in this crazy world, becoming better people and loving each other only after it’s too late.  


End file.
